Food Dude -- NOTE NEW VENUE!!

Though nowhere near as grating as Rachael Ray, Food Network host Guy Fieri is probably every gourmet chef's nightmare. He sports blond, spiked hair, a sunburned face, bowling shirts and flip-flops, and uses nonculinary lingo like, "Off the hook!" He';s Emeril without the "Bam!"; and Paula Deen without the Southern accent. But in an age of cooking-as-entertainment, Fieri is a rising star, hosting not one but three Food Network shows, including the popular Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, in which he gets to fulfill perhaps every foodie's dream of traveling the country and stopping at every mouthwatering mom-and-pop restaurant, grease pit, food stand and food truck. Fieri, who's also a cookbook author and owner of two restaurant chains in Northern California (he briefly lived in Whittier), brings his nationwide Guy Fieri Roadshow to town, performing interactive cooking demonstrations with a live band, and even a bartender and local chef as opening acts.
Thu., Dec. 17, 7:15 p.m., 2009